1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to remote control devices and more specifically to a system and method for controlling an electronic device with a single-axis gyroscopic remote control.
2. Description of the Background Art
Remote control devices are common in today's society thanks in large part to the proliferation of home electronic devices over the past several years. A typical remote control device has various input buttons that a user presses or holds down to control the different input parameters of the electronic device(s) that the remote control device is designed to control. For example, to control the volume of a television, the user normally points the remote control device towards the television and presses the volume up or the volume down button to adjust the volume. If the user wants to make more than a slight adjustment to the volume, the user normally either has to press the appropriate volume button several times or has to press and hold down the appropriate volume button until the desired volume level is attained.
One drawback of this type of remote control device is that having to press an input button several times to adjust an input parameter is cumbersome and time consuming. Also, having to hold down an input button and wait for the input parameter to adjust is oftentimes time consuming as well.
Another type of remote control device is a dual-axis gyroscopic remote control. Such a remote control device operates similarly to a computer “mouse” device in that the remote control device includes a dual-axis gyroscope that enables a user to manipulate the position of a cursor on the display screen of the electronic device being controlled. More specifically, the dual-axis gyroscope allows the user to control the position of the cursor in two dimensions, typically the horizontal and vertical directions relative to the face of the display screen, by pointing the remote control device at the display screen and moving his or her wrist. One type of wrist motion moves the cursor in the horizontal direction, and second type of wrist motion moves the cursor in the vertical direction. To control an input parameter with this type of remote control device, a user normally first points the cursor at an icon on the display screen that is configured to adjust the input parameter in the desired fashion when activated and then presses an input button on the remote control device to activate the icon (commonly referred to as “clicking on” the icon). For example, if the user wants to increase the volume of a television, the user first uses the remote control device to point the cursor at the “volume up” icon and then presses the input button on the remote control device to click on that icon. The dual-axis gyroscopic remote control and the television are configured such that clicking on the “volume up” icon increases the volume of the television. As with more traditional remote control devices, if the user wants to make more than a slight adjustment to the volume, the user normally either has to click on the “volume up” icon several times or has to press and hold down the input button on the dual-axis gyroscopic remote control while maintaining the cursor on the “volume up” icon until the desired volume level is attained.
One drawback of the dual-axis remote control device is that positioning the cursor on the display screen is difficult. A common problem that users experience is known as “drift,” where the cursor drifts in one dimension as the user tries to control the position of the cursor in the other dimension. Simultaneously controlling both degrees of freedom of the cursor requires a high degree of dexterity and much patience.
Another drawback of the dual-axis remote control device is that the cursor may move off of the icon that the user is trying to click on when the user presses the input button on the remote control device to activate that icon. If the cursor moves off the icon, then the icon may not activate properly. The consequence is that the user must reposition the cursor to point at the icon and then try clicking on that icon again.
Other drawbacks include those cited above for more traditional remote control devices. Namely, having to click on an icon several times to adjust an input parameter is cumbersome and time consuming. Also, having to hold down an input button while maintaining the cursor on the relevant icon until the input parameter adjusts as desired is cumbersome and time consuming as well.